Eternity
by WhiteLightForever
Summary: When Sage Cantomere enters into Edward Elric's life, suddenly everything changes. Together they become entangled in a vicious web of power and corruption that threatens to destroy all they hold dear- including each other. Can they decide their own fates?
1. Chapter 1: A Nightmare Come to Life

Eternity

{A Nightmare Come to Life}

By WhiteLightForever

_**She cried out in the night as her father's body fell to the floor. Blood seeped from his now mutilated head, creating a puddle that crept towards her feet. A tall man walked towards her and she backed towards the wall. Tears streamed down her face as she faced the man who had just murdered her entire family. She stared at the white X that marked his forehead.**_

_**"Why…" she whispered. "Why?"**_

_**"Because you are the greatest sinner. Because you insult all grace by existing. I shall remove this evil from the earth." He replied, raising his blood covered hand to her face. She yelled, recognizing this same technique that had just destroyed her parents.**_

_**Scar held his hand to her head and she screamed. But when he brought his hand away, all that remained was a small pool of blood on the floor. His eyes narrowed in anger, and he turned and left the small home.**_

Ed shot up. He looked around, panting. He was in his bed in the dorm room, and Al was lying in his bed sleeping. He clutched the blankets tightly and sighed in relief. It was all just a dream… But he could still hear the scream of the young girl resounding in his mind.

He got out of bed and walked shakily over to the window. The moon was full and shining brightly, casting a white light upon the earth. Central was quiet, surprisingly. Ed knew that his new guards would be waiting outside the doors. He groaned, annoyed with them. He wanted to go for a walk to clear his head. Coming up with an idea, he opened the window and started to climb down the brick wall. It was difficult, considering that he had metal fingers that didn't grip very well, but he managed.

Ed leaped onto the pavement and winced as the clatter of metal on ground echoed. He looked up, checking to make sure that the guards didn't stick their heads out the window. There was no doubt that Lieutenant Ross would be angry if she caught him.

"No sign of them," Ed whispered to himself, "Great."

Edward Elric walked down the empty streets of Central, staring at the ground. It was the fourth time he had had that dream this week. Questions lingered in his mind… why did he keep having it? What did it mean? Was it just some random nightmare, since Scar was constantly hunting him down? _No,_ he thought, _that's not it. I know it._

Suddenly Ed froze. He felt it… the same feeling that had existed in his dream…

A scream echoed in the night.

Ed bolted off, trying to find the source of the scream. He knew it was nearby, it sounded so close. He turned a corner and skidded to a halt. There lying in the middle of the road, was the girl in his dreams.

He walked up to her slowly, wondering if he was dreaming or not. He knelt down beside her and noticed that she was bleeding heavily. Ed gasped and had a flashback to when he found Al, after their fateful attempt at bringing their mother back from the dead. This girl looked young, but not as young as they had been…

He rolled her over and discovered a large gash in her head. "This must be where Scar hit her… but how did she get here?" he wondered aloud. But as soon as he finished talking, the girl's eyes flew open. She stared at him in terror.

"Don't touch me! You must leave me alone!" she cried.

"Wha-what-" Ed began.

But then a light came from the girl's eyes. Ed closed his eyes, nearly blinded from the spectacular light. He heard her whimper and opened his eyes when the light faded. Ed looked at where the girl would be in his arms, but was shocked to discover that she was no longer there. But he was no longer even in the streets of Central.

He was kneeling in the middle of a vast grassy field. There was still blood on his gloves from when he held her. He looked up and saw a clear blue sky. There was no sun, but it was bright as day there. Ed stood up and noticed that the girl was standing before him. She was completely healed. But tears glistened on her cheeks nonetheless.

"Welcome to Eternity," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning of Eternity

Eternity: Chapter 2

{The Beginning of Eternity}

By WhiteLightForever

"Welcome to Eternity," she whispered.

"What… happened…" Ed said, dumbstruck. He could only stare at the girl.

She had short chestnut brown hair and silver eyes. She wore a violet long-sleeved shirt and navy blue jeans, as well as a black cloak. There was no blood on her clothing at all; no evidence that she had ever been hurt.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried out, falling onto her knees. She buried her face into her hands and sobbed. Ed suddenly felt sorry for her and was shaken out of his shock. He placed his hand on her back and patted it.

"Um… what are you sorry for?" he asked, trying to sound soothing and not confused.

"I took you here… but I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…" she mumbled.

"And… where am I, exactly?" Ed said. She looked up at him with teary eyes.

"I told you… this is Eternity…"

"And that is?"

"A place I always end up, when I'm hurt or scared. Well actually, I end up here a lot."

"How?" Ed persisted. She sighed in annoyance at his interrogation.

"Eternity is in my mind. But I… I don't feel like talking about that…" she burst out crying again, rocking back and forth. Ed sweat dropped and knelt by her to pat her on the back again.

*

Ed opened his eyes slowly. He stared at the ceiling, watching the light reflecting on the tiles. Beep…beep…beep…

He looked over at the machine monitoring his heart rate and it hit him.

"What am I doing here?" he asked loudly.

"Brother! You're awake!" Al cried, rushing to his side.

"Al? What happened?" Ed demanded, looking to his brother.

"Well, when I woke up, you weren't there… and the guards said they didn't know where you were either! Then we got a call that you were found in the middle of an intersection, unconscious and covered in blood! You were brought here to the hospital. What happened to you, Ed?" Al explained. His voice was thick with worry, and Ed felt guilty about leaving him without a note. He went back to looking at the ceiling.

"Well, I- I had that dream again, so I snuck out the window to go for a walk and clear my head, but then I found her, Al! I found the girl in my dream! And she was just lying there, bleeding, so I tried to help her, but then there was a blast of light and I ended up in Eternity and she was completely healed, but she was crying, so I tried to figure out what was going on but then I… I ended up here…" Ed told him quickly.

"That explains the blood on you… but when we found you, there wasn't a girl with you, Ed."

"What?" Ed cried. "Then where did she go?"

"Are you sure… you weren't dreaming or something, Ed?"

"No, I wasn't dreaming! Otherwise how else would I have gotten blood on me?!" Ed shouted. He knew it wasn't a dream. But then… what did happen?

Ed grumbled and whipped off the covers, dismantling the heart monitor. He got out of bed and pulled on his boots and red jacket, despite Al's protests. He wanted to find that girl. He wanted answers. But most of all… Ed wanted to help her.

_Welcome to Eternity, _her voice echoed in his thoughts. Eternity? Ed remembered what she had said, that Eternity was in her mind. But had he dreamed that? No… he knew he didn't.

"And where do you think you're going?" Roy Mustang entered the room. He folded his arms and gave Ed a questioning look.

"I'm going to find her." Ed said, not bothering to look the Colonel in the face.

"Who?" Roy asked.

"I- I don't know…" Ed said with realization.

"Then how exactly are you going to find her?"

"I know what she looks like!"

"Ed, be realistic. She could be anywhere. Now who exactly are you talking about?" Roy rolled his eyes.

Ed gave in and told him the story. Even the part about Eternity. As he said it, Ed realized how ridiculous it sounded. He wondered if Roy would decide to send him in for psychological counselling. When he finished, Roy gave him an odd look.

"Well… ahem… I believe you, Ed. But I don't see how we could possibly find this girl. Like I said before, she could be anywhere. Chances aren't very good of you finding her, unless she's still here in Central…" he stated.

"Yeah, I… I guess." Ed agreed grudgingly. Al just sat there, twiddling his thumbs.

Ed froze. Roy noticed the change and eyed him suspiciously, while Al called out his name. But Ed couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything but the scream. Why was it always a scream?

"She's here!" he cried, sprinting past Roy and down the hallway.

"Ed! Ed, come back!" Roy shouted. He ran after him, with Al close behind.

When they finally caught up with him, he was in the front foyer of the hospital. Nurses were giving him suspicious looks, while he was completely oblivious. He just kept on looking right and left frantically.

"Brother! What are you doing?" Al cried, fearing for his brother's sanity.

"Al… she's here, I know it! I heard her scream again!" Ed told him.

"Ed, no one screamed. Come back to your room now. That's an order." Roy said.

"NO! I'M NOT GOING BACK! SHE'S HERE, AND I'M GOING TO find…her…" Ed yelled angrily, trailing off. He fell to the floor instantly unconscious. A nurse looked to the Colonel nodding as she placed the cap back on the tranquilizer. Some male nurses walked over and lifted Ed onto a stretcher and began to wheel him back to his room.

"Wasn't that a bit unnecessary?" Al asked Roy quietly, staring at the ground.

"No Al," Roy said to him with a stern look, "We think that something may be wrong with Ed. Something very wrong…"


	3. Chapter 3: Knowing Nothing, Yet Everythi

Eternity: Chapter 3

{Knowing Nothing, Yet Everything}

By WhiteLightForever

She felt the Sun's warmth on her skin. She knew that she wasn't bleeding anymore, but she still felt bathed in it. She didn't want to open her eyes, fearing for whatever horrors might lie beyond the darkness on her eyelids. Why, oh why couldn't she go back to Eternity?

Sage Cantomere took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She was lying beneath an oak tree on the grass. The Sun was shining brightly, and the sky was bluer than ever. It reminded her of Eternity, but then again, no, Eternity was different. Eternity was never-ending. Eternity was her world, her own, that she didn't have to share with anyone.

A gentle breeze lifted her hair up slightly. It had a chill. She felt it, and thought it was fitting for such a day. It was the one-week anniversary of her parents' death. She thought back to what had happened that day…

As soon as she felt the beginning of Scar's alchemy against her, Sage willed herself to Eternity, knowing it would be her only escape. She spent a week there, just lying on the grass in her world, mourning for her parents and asking herself the same question for the hundredth time: _Why?_ Why did Eternity have to exist within her? Why did she have to possess such strong, uncontrollable powers? Why _her?_

But during all the time, Sage felt the presence of someone else. She felt as if someone was right by her side, feeling her pain. But she knew that couldn't be. Eternity was her haven, and hers alone. No one else could come there, unless they happened to be touching her when she travelled there.

"That's how… he came with me…" Sage whispered to herself, remembering the blonde boy. He was the person to whom she first awoke after spending so much time in Eternity. Usually, Eternity healed her wounds faster than that… otherwise she would be dead by now. She wondered why she was still badly wounded when she woke up and found herself in his arms.

"He was so kind to me…" she muttered, staring at the sky as a cloud floated by.

"He wasn't scared of me at all… but then again, he doesn't know."

*

"Tell me what you see."

"Black spots."

"No, not what you _see_. Tell me what you think the black spots represent."

"Um… black spots?"

"No."

"Black… blobs?"

"No."

"Black things?"

"Ed…" the psychiatrist growled. Ed raised his eyebrows and blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. He was sitting in one of the long, not-so-comfy chairs in the psychiatrists' office, resting his arms behind his head. The psychiatrist muttered something under his breath and put the sheets of paper he had been holding up back in his desk drawer. He pushed his glasses up and observed his newest subject, Edward Elric.

Ed was looking rather haggled. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair messy, and he looked thoroughly exhausted; even though he had just spent the last few nights relaxing in the hospital. Colonel Mustang had refused to let Ed leave the hospital, despite the fact that his injuries were completely healed. Ed knew Roy's reasoning. Roy thought he had somehow unravelled. That he had lost his mind. Ed saw it in everyone's eyes; the nurses, Roy's, the psychiatrist, even Al seemed to doubt him.

"Can I leave now, Doc? I think we both know this is pointless. I'm not crazy. You'll have to get someone else to look at the black spots so you can make some money, okay?" Ed told him outright.

"Ed, the Colonel told me that I wasn't to let you leave until I've figured out what's wrong with you." Dr. Folry replied in a tired voice.

"Well then, you'd better call the moving van, 'cause I'm not crazy. I don't have a problem. And if you're going to make me stay until you've 'figured out what's wrong with me', then you should be prepared to be here for a long time."

Dr. Folry sighed. "Fine. Go. Just go."

"Thanks you for this spectacular waste of my life." Ed muttered sarcastically, shutting the door loudly behind him. Dr. Folry started complaining under his breath as he prepared to make his report.

Ed walked down the hallway and stared out the ground. He was extremely frustrated with everyone here. The entire military thought he was a maniac thanks to rumours from the Colonel, who couldn't keep his mouth shut. But even worse than that was Al's constant worrying over him. Al asked him every five minutes if he was feeling okay.

Ed always said he was okay. But he wasn't okay. He had so many questions, and no answers. Ed was constantly thinking about the girl and Eternity. He couldn't understand why he was so obsessed with it.

"Hi, brother…" Al said quietly. He was leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for Ed.

"Hi." Ed mumbled, walking right past his brother. Al began to follow him.

"How was it?" Al asked, his armour clanking as it hit the floor repeatedly.

"Dull and pointless." Ed replied, emotionless.

Al didn't respond. He knew Ed would never give in, or admit that there was something wrong with him. But that didn't stop Al from wanting him to.

"Yeah, well, I don't know why the Colonel wanted you to see a psychiatrist anyways… I mean, it's obvious that you're fine-"

"You're lying."

"I-I'm not-"

"Don't lie to me, Al."

"It's just-"

"I know you think that I'm hallucinating. Everyone thinks I've lost it."

"We don't, but-"

"I'm not lying about this, Al. She's real. Eternity's real. I'm going to find her, and you're not going to stop me!" Ed shouted, and ran down the hallway and out the double doors.

Al watched him leave. "I'm just worried about you." He whispered.


	4. Chapter 4: Lost and Found

Eternity: Chapter 4

{Lost and Found}

By WhiteLightForever

Ed roughly shoved the innocent pedestrians out of the way. He knew that Al wouldn't be far behind, as well as Armstrong and a group of soldiers. Ed just wanted to get out of Central. He wanted to leave, clear his head, and figure everything out. But it seemed that all he had been doing lately was running.

Ed clapped his hands, using alchemy for the first time in days, and formed a wall behind him. People shrieked in surprise as a wall suddenly blocked their path. But Ed kept on running until he got off of the main road and hit gravel paths. He found an open field and decided to rest for a bit. He wouldn't abandon Al, of course. Just take a break from the military.

He walked over to a tree and sat down heavily on the ground. Leaning against it, he heaved a sigh and watched a cloud drift past. Then he felt it again. Ed leaped up, anticipating a scream. But nothing came. He looked left and right anxiously, but nothing happened….

Thump.

Ed looked behind the tree and saw her appear. She just popped up out of nowhere and collapsed instantly onto the ground. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him until he reached her. She just lay there in the grass, curled up and completely unconscious. Ed began to wonder if he honestly was losing his mind.

_I know you're there. You must leave me alone. You must go_. A tiny voice whispered. Ed bent over her to see if she had awakened, but she still had her eyes shut tight.

_ I'm using telepathy, if that's what you're wondering. I can see you. I can feel your presence. But you __**must go**_ she cried. Ed could hear the urgency in her voice, and realized that it was indeed coming from inside his mind.

"No! I'm not leaving! I want some answers. And how are you doing this?" Ed shouted.

_ You have to leave me alone! Please!_

"No, I'm not leaving! I'm staying right here! I told you, I want some answers, and I'm not going away until you tell me what happened that night. Oh, and you have to tell my brother and everyone else that I'm not crazy!"

_I… I can't. I don't want to ever see you again, so please just go!_

"I'M NOT GOING! I'M STAYING, SO YOU HAD BETTER WAKE UP AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!" he yelled angrily. He waited impatiently for her reply.

Ed yelped as her hand grabbed his wrist. He was about to pry her cold fingers from his skin, when he blinked.

He was sitting on a bench. There were cherry blossom trees all around, sprinkling their petals in the gentle breeze. The sky wasn't blue, but lavender mixed with ivory. There was no Sun, yet it was still warm and bright as day.

"You really must understand," Ed turned around to see her sitting beside him. She looked at him with sad eyes.

"What happened that day was an accident. You weren't supposed to come here. When you wake up, you'll be far away from me, and I hope never to see you again…"

Ed narrowed his eyes. "But why? How can you hate me when you don't even know me?" he demanded.

"No! It's not that!" she cried in alarm. "It's just that… well, you weren't supposed to come here. Eternity is my place. Other people shouldn't come here. They always…" She paused to shake her head. "Never mind. I don't want to talk about it."

"That's what you said last time. And it's getting annoying. And if I wake up again and you aren't there, I'll keep searching until I find you again." Ed said. He looked at her, and she stared back at him.

"Fine." She groaned, conceding defeat. "I'm Sage Cantomere. Nice to meet you again."

Ed smiled his goofy grin. "Ed Elric. Always a pleasure."

Silence. They kept eye contact, each one hoping that the other would begin the conversation. Ed sweat dropped.

"So…"

"Anyways…"

*

Al blinked. A moment ago, he figured that he had finally caught up with Ed. At that point, Al had been truly terrified that Ed had actually lost his mind and was yelling at thin air. But two seconds later, Ed completely vanished into thin air.

"BROTHER!!! ED!!!!" he shouted, running into the meadow. He looked left and right frantically, but Ed was nowhere to be seen. If Al had his heart, he would have bet money that it just stopped. But Ed was gone, and either Al had lost his mind too, or Ed had just disappeared.

*

A girl held a letter in her hands. It was sealed with an emblem that she recognized. The seal wasn't wax, though. It was blood. She turned the letter over and stared at the address, her eyes narrowing.

"Damn it," she muttered. "They've found me again."

Using her delicately trimmed nails, she slit the envelope open and quickly read the letter. She scowled and tossed the letter into the fireplace. The parchment dissolved in the red flames, along with the words that clearly gave her orders. And a threat. Why was it that any letter she ever received from them ended in a threat? Why not a thank you? After all, she did their dirty work often enough.

But she wasn't one of them anymore. That was why they hated her, she understood that. They were so jealous of her that they couldn't even stand to see her in person. That was why they always sent letters.

"I guess I should help them… after all, I'm enjoying life too much to give it up."

Angela Walle grabbed her knapsack and left the shabby apartment. But not before setting it on fire. By now, it was practically her trademark.


	5. Chapter 5: The Story of Sage Cantomere

Eternity: Chapter 5

{The Story of Sage Cantomere}

By WhiteLightForever

Al burst into Roy's office, despite Riza's angry protests that he was busy. Al was on the verge of a panic attack and ignored her completely. Roy looked up from his stack of paperwork and gave Al an annoyed look.

"What is it, Al, I'm kind of busy-" he began.

"ED'S GONE!" Al shouted, interrupting him. Roy instantly jumped off of his chair.

"What?!" he demanded.

"He-He just- He disappeared!!! In a field, outside of Central! He left after the appointment with Dr. Folry, he just ran off! HE'S GONE AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!!!" Al yelled.

"What do you mean, he disappeared?!"

"I mean, he disappeared! He was just sitting in the middle of a field, yelling, then he vanished into thin air!" Al cried. Roy looked more angry than worried.

"Was it alchemy?"

"No! No flash of light, no clapping… he just disappeared! What are we going to do?" Al couldn't hold back his fear or worry. He was terrified that Ed would never come back. Al had lost enough in his life- he couldn't,_ wouldn't_, lose his brother too.

"I'll issue a search. Every free man… or woman…" he added, after seeing Riza's raised eyebrows, standing in the doorway. "In Central will be sent around to look for Ed. I suggest that you, Al, return to where you saw him last. Armstrong will go with you. Alright?"

Al looked sadly at the ground. "O-okay. I'll go, th-then." He muttered.

Roy patted his shoulder. "We'll find him, Al."

"I hope so…"

*

"So…"

"Anyways…"

They both began at the same time. Each sweat dropped, but Ed gave Sage an encouraging smile.

"Alright. I'll start. Eternity is… well, it's a part of me. When I was born, it was somehow already in my mind, but no one knew. But when I was older, like 9 or so, whenever I would fight with my parents I would go there. I thought it was just my imagination or something. But my parents soon noticed that I wasn't in my room whenever they sent me there. They thought I had been running away. But then I told them about Eternity and brought them there.

I was thrilled with Eternity, but for some reason, my parents started neglecting me afterward. Soon the entire village knew, and they thought I was some kind of witch or something. They thought Eternity was unnatural, some gift from the Devil.

But things got even worse. I developed powers as I grew, receiving more powers each year. Since they came so swiftly though, I couldn't control them. Whenever I had an emotional outburst, bad things would happen… really bad things. Explosions, fires, earthquakes… one time everyone in the village started levitating. I turned my first cat yellow. After a while I learned to control the ones I had, but they were still prone to reacting if I was angry or sad. And it didn't help that new powers came every year.

My powers were a form of alchemy, which gave me more control as I got used to them. Being an alchemist made things even worse between my family and the villagers. We lived in a simple town, one that didn't support the idea of alchemy. They thought it was like challenging God. They treated my parents terribly, but me even worse. I was often beaten in public, called horrible names… sometimes people even attempted to kill me as an act of righteousness. And things just got worse as time went on.

My parents hated me, the villagers hated me… everyone did. I was alone in the world. So I practically lived in Eternity. I would have rather lived in Eternity. But I always opened my eyes in the end, and I was still in my room. But then I discovered something. I could actually control Eternity! I could see the world outside of Eternity if I willed it; I could actually teleport my body somewhere else I wanted to. And a tiny part of me was happy again.

Then something horrible happened…" at that point, Sage choked up. Her eyes filled with tears, and she clutched the material of her shirt in her sweaty hands.

"He… he came. Scar. I had never met him, but I knew who he was and what he wanted as soon as I laid eyes on him. Telepathy is one of my powers, as I told you before, so I read his mind. He came to kill me, apparently tipped off by one of the villagers. But he killed my parents first…" tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "And when he came to kill me, I teleported. But I was still wounded in the head, where he aimed the attack. I was unconscious in Eternity from the blow, so I couldn't determine where I would awaken. So when I woke up, I was with you by accident. I was very disoriented, and I was still hurt, so I went to Eternity by instinct. I didn't mean for you to come. It should never have happened. I'm sorry for causing you such confusion… But…" she looked up quickly and looked him directly into his amber eyes.

"Do you hate me?" she cried. Ed was taken aback.

"Wh-what? No, I don't hate you!"

"But-" Sage was sobbing. "H-how could you not? Everyone else did! And Scar said… he said… such horrible things about me. How could you not hate me?!"

Ed nodded, remembering Scar's words from his dream. "Listen, Sage." He said softly, "Before I met you, I had been having a recurring nightmare. In it, I saw Scar murder your parents… and I saw him come for you. I saw everything. I don't know why I had that dream. But the last time I had it, I decided to leave my place for a bit and take a walk to clear my head. That's when I ran into you.

I think we were meant to find each other. I don't think it was an accident. I don't even really believe in fate or destiny, but hey, who knows?"

Sage was staring at him with such a pure look in her eyes. Then, as soon as Ed had finished, she jumped onto him, in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank-you, Ed." She whispered, still crying. "Thank-you."


	6. Chapter 6: Pain Mixed with Pleasure

Eternity: Chapter 6

{Pain Mixed with Pleasure}

By WhiteLightForever

"Hey, Sage?" Ed coughed. He was blushing terribly. "I can't, uh, breathe."

"Oh!" Sage cried, immediately jumping off him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it!" Ed said, grinning. He went for a change of subject. "Hey, you know what? I'm an alchemist too! They call me the Full-Metal Alchemist."

"Oh, I've heard of you! My village hated you!" Sage said. Ed sweat-dropped.

"But aren't you a little-"

'DON'T SAY SHORT' Ed's eyes warned.

"-Young? I mean, to be in the military?"

"Well, yeah. The youngest yet!" Ed puffed out his chest proudly. Sage giggled.

"Good for you. I don't think age should matter, if you're good enough." She replied. Ed couldn't stop smiling. "Ah…"

Sage bent over suddenly, clutching her forehead. Her eyes were shut tightly.

"What? What is it?" Ed cried.

Before she could respond, something happened. The picturesque scene that had just been around them dissolved. It was then replaced by a desolate world. They were surrounded by rocks and sand dunes, and huge craters in the ground. The sky was dark brown and green. The beautiful cherry blossom trees that once stood over them were bare and dead. Ed's eyes widened.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Sage cried out in pain. "Eternity… tied to my emotions… if I'm in pain, it changes…"

"You-you're in pain? Are you alright?"

But Ed asked this question too late. Sage collapsed onto the sand with one final squeal of pain. Ed watched in despair as the scenery around him dissolved once more, but this time, to nothingness…

*

Angela Walle approached the village of Layorne. She knew about this place; she remembered it. The village that hated alchemists. Her eyes narrowed in disgust. It would take all of her willpower not to lash out at anyone, or worse. But she was on assignment, she reminded herself, so she had to stay careful.

Nevertheless, Angela did not change her appearance to avoid suspicion. Her long, perfectly straight blonde hair was tied back into a low ponytail with a black ribbon. Her hair was completely blonde, even the roots, save for the one thin part on her left that was pitch black, and the thin part on her right that was blood red. Blonde bangs hung over her green eyes. Her skin was pale and milky. She had a naturally thin and very fit frame.

Angela wore a black tank top and a black short skirt, as well as a black robe overtop. She had black high socks on too, tucking into black plain shoes. Angela loved black. Even after all this time, she still loved it like she had before… The only article of clothing she wore that wasn't black were her ivory gloves, with a strange red insignia on both palms. Angela smirked, guessing that the villagers would disapprove of her apparel. _Oh well,_ she thought, _they'll just have to deal with it. Worse comes to worse, I'll just say I'm in mourning…_

As soon as she entered Layorne, passers-by gave her dirty looks. Angela rolled her eyes. But she made her way through the crowds until she reached a tiny house near the outskirts of the village. Without waiting for permission, she entered it swiftly and silently.

As she had expected, there was no sign of life within. In the orange glow of the setting sun Angela could see the blood-stained floorboards. The bodies had apparently been removed as soon as they had been found. She walked to the opposite wall and saw flecks of blood at her neck level. Angela clapped her hands and placed them over the blood on the wall. A flash of light erupted, surrounding her. Her hair was lifted up, and her clothes ruffled in the breeze without a source. Then the light left. Angela opened her eyes and smiled.

"So she escaped, just in time." She whispered, "Using alchemy."

"Hey, you! I saw you using alchemy! You're not welcome here!" a voice called from behind her. A glint appeared in Angela's eyes.

"Well," she said, "This changes everything."

About twenty minutes later, Angela left the village. It was now deadly silent. Not one person was in the streets, walking from store to store. Angela was smiling as she wiped the blood from her hands, her gloves still perfectly white.

*

Al was sitting in-between two tree trunks. He leaned against the elderly oak, having no way of knowing that just hours before Ed had been sitting in that exact spot. Al kept looking from the sky, back to the place where he had last seen Ed. He couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding; something was telling him that things had just changed for the worse. But what had happened?

Al gazed at the clouds. "Brother," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Where are you?"


	7. Chapter 7: Happiness is ShortLived

**A/N: You may notice that Maes Hughes is in this. If you've seen the entire series, you'll understand that this takes place earlier in the series… quite early, as I started writing it when I had only seen a few episodes, and then I continued to watch the whole series and the movie. **

Eternity: Chapter 7

{Happiness is Short-Lived}

By WhiteLightForever

Roy didn't bother to glance up from his paperwork when the door burst open. It had been two days since Ed's disappearance, and Al had been visiting him frequently. Ed still hadn't been found, and Al was growing more terrified by the hour.

"What is it, Al?" he guessed.

"It's not Al," Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes said grimly. Roy looked up from his desk, disturbed by Hughes' voice.

"Hughes? What's the matter?" he asked, afraid of the answer. Hughes looked at him, straight in the face.

"There's been… a massacre." Hughes replied hesitantly. Roy froze.

"Was it… was it…" Roy began slowly. Hughes shook his head.

"No, it wasn't the military. Someone else. We suspect it may be Scar, but we don't know why he would kill an entire village. What could be the reasoning? Some survivors said that Scar had visited them a week before it happened. He killed an entire family, but they think the daughter managed to escape, since they never found her body." Hughes said.

"Get the survivors to give a description. We'll have to find this girl; she might be related to this." Roy bent over the desk and put his head in his hands. "Ah, this is just too much, Hughes… first Ed loses his mind, then he goes missing, now a massacre with Scar's name all over it. It can't be just coincidental. It has to be related."

"Well, Colonel, if you can figure out how, let me know."

*

Ed woke up first. His vision fell first at the scene above him: patches of a starry night sky through the branches of trees. For a moment he could not remember what had happened, and he only stared at the night. But in less than an instant the memories came flooding back. Ed jolted up, looking around for a sight of Sage. But there she was, lying beside him on the grass.

But Ed was not relieved to see her, or at least, not like that. His eyes were immediately drawn to a drip of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. She was very pale in the moonlight. Ed gently shook her, but she remained unconscious.

_Sage…_ he thought in panic, _what's wrong with you?_

Ed was happy that they were at least out of Eternity, and they were together. But he had to get her to a doctor… _fast_. He got to his feet and picked her up awkwardly in his arms. He started walking, staring at her face nestled in his chest. Luckily, she wasn't very heavy at all. For the first time, Ed noticed how thin she was… but he also noticed that she was the same height as him. Despite being quite pleased that she was short for her age too, Ed frowned seeing how weak she seemed. How could someone who was that powerful be so tiny and frail?

Then a thought struck Ed. His eyes scanned left and right and the back of his neck suddenly prickled up with hairs.

"Oh no… where am I?!" he cried out in alarm.

Ed soon discovered that he had absolutely no idea where they were. He understood that they were in a deep forest, but the real question was, where? And how would he ever get out of here with Sage?

Ed fell onto his knees and placed Sage back on the ground. He clapped his hands and used alchemy to create a fire. He tucked Sage's cloak in around her, fearing for her warmth. He also wiped the blood from her mouth, worrying that she was truly injured… but at least she wasn't bleeding anymore. Ed just leaned back against a tree and watched as the flames danced. Ed's brow furrowed and he groaned.

"What am I going to do?" he said to the night.

*

When Ed woke up again it was late morning. It was hot and humid, and the birds were singing happily somewhere in the trees. He felt so peaceful, but then Sage suddenly came to mind and he immediately got up. He felt a surge of panic when he discovered that she wasn't lying across from him anymore, and her cloak lay on the ground abandoned.

"I'm glad you're awake," Ed whirled around to come face-to-face with Sage, who was smiling brightly.

"You're awake too," Ed exclaimed. "Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for taking care of me, Ed. It means a lot to me." Sage looked at the ground, blushing.

"Hey, it's not a big deal." Ed said, scratching the back of head. "But what happened, Sage?"

Sage stopped blushing and continued to stare at the ground. "I don't really know. But it's never happened before. Maybe I'm just getting a new power again, I've had headaches like that before, and I've always gotten a new power just after. So it's nothing to worry about, really."

Ed didn't believe her, but he didn't want to push her. They sat in silence for a moment as the wind picked Sage's hair up and blew it wildly. When it died down again, Ed's stomach interrupted the silence with a loud growl.

"Hey, your new power wouldn't happen to be producing food, would it?" Ed laughed. Sage looked back up at him and giggled.

"Sorry, I don't think so. I won't know what it is for a little while. But perhaps we should go looking for food, or at least a way out of this forest?" she suggested.

"Yeah. Let's go."

An hour later, they had reached the edge of the forest. Due to the immense heat, Ed had stripped down to his black short-sleeved shirt and rolled up the cuffs of his pants. Sage rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and the cuffs of her jeans, and tied her hair up into a ponytail. They both stopped, panting, when they entered an open field.

"Hah… we're finally out of that forest…" Ed muttered. Sage wiped the sweat off of her brow and stared up at the Sun.

"Hey, Ed…" she began with a sudden burst of energy. "I have a great idea! I don't know why I didn't think of this before!"

"What is it?" he asked, looking at her with interest.

Sage held out her hands and closed her eyes. She slowly raised her hands until they were above her head, then she whispered, "Rain."

Ed gasped as it suddenly started to rain over top of them. He looked up and saw that some giant rain clouds hovered over them and cold rain sprinkled down on himself and Sage. She laughed and started to whirls around in circles, whilst Ed just looked on in surprise. Before he could protest, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him around with her.

"Why didn't you tell me you could summon the rain before?" he said, stumbling over some boulders. She laughed.

"I didn't think of it, and plus, you didn't ask!" Together they danced around in the rain until they were completely drenched and cooled off.

Sage raised her hands back to the sky. "Rain, dispel!" she called. The rain clouds vanished as quickly as they had come.

They started to walk down the hill from the forest, dripping wet. Ed tried not to look at Sage, as her clothing clung to her body. He tried desperately not to turn beet-red.

"Wow, you know, you're really powerful." He said. She looked at him with a sad glance.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I know."

Before Ed could make an attempt to cheer her up, however, she stopped dead in her tracks. She gazed with a terrified look ahead of her, as her eyes grew wider and more dilated. Following her gaze, his eyes were drawn to the sight ahead. Farther ahead was a small village. Ed looked back at Sage.

"What is it?" he asked. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the village.

"That's my village." She whispered. "My home. Layorne."


End file.
